Route W (New York City Subway)
The W Broadway Local is a service of the New York City Subway. It is colored yellow on the route sign (either on the front and/or side - depending on equipment used) and on station signs and the NYC Subway map, as it represents a service provided on the BMT Broadway Line through midtown Manhattan. Service runs local from Astoria-Ditmars Boulevard to Whitehall Street, and only from 06:00 to 21:50 on weekdays. Sporadic service is also provided to and from Gravesend–86th Street via the Sea Beach Line at the extreme ends of service hours, as trains enter and leave the Coney Island Complex. Introduced in 2001, the W initially ran until 2010, when the MTA discontinued it due to budget issues. As part of the opening of the Second Avenue Subway, the MTA restored the route using its 2004-2010 service pattern. The following lines were used by the service: Service history *The service was introduced on July 22, 2001 when the north side of the Manhattan Bridge was closed for reconstruction. It was used as a replacement service in for the train, which terminated at 34th Street–Herald Square. During midday and rush hours, it ran between Ditmars Boulevard–Astoria, and Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue. During this time, it ran as a peak-direction express in Queens, express between 34th Street–Herald Square in Manhattan and 36th Street in Brooklyn, and local elsewhere. During weekday evenings, it ran as an express between 57th Street in Manhattan and 36th Street, and then local to Stillwell Avenue. On weekends, it ran between Pacific Street and Stillwell Avenue, running express between Pacific and 36th Streets and local between 36th Street and Stillwell Avenue. During late nights, it ran as a shuttle between 36th Street and Stillwell Avenue. *After September 11, 2001, service was suspended. trains ran between Ditmars Boulevard and Stillwell Avenue at all times except late nights, running all local except express in Brooklyn north of 36th Street. During late nights, it ran in two sections; between Ditmars Boulevard and 34th Street–Herald Square, and between 36th Street and Stillwell Avenue. Trains skipped 49th Street northbound. On October 28, service returned to normal. *On January 15, 2002, after numerous complaints, trains started running local on the Astoria Line at all times. *On September 8, 2002, Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue was closed for reconstruction with the exception of the BMT West End Line platform. The service ran between Ditmars Boulevard and Stillwell Avenue at all times. On weekdays, it ran express between 34th Street–Herald Square and 36th Street, using the Manhattan Bridge to travel between the two boroughs. Late nights and weekends, it ran local along its entire route and used the Montague Street Tunnel to travel between and , replacing service, which terminated at Pacific Street during this time. *On February 22, 2004, the north side of the Manhattan Bridge reopened. The assumed its current service pattern, running as a local between Ditmars Boulevard and Whitehall Street on weekdays only. It was replaced by the train in Brooklyn. *On July 27, 2008, the W''' was extended to run until 11:00 p.m in response to growth in the subway system's ridership. *On March 24, 2010, the MTA announced the elimination of the '''W due to financial shortfalls with the N''' and '''Q replacing it. The N''' train became a full-time local north of Canal Street while the '''Q was extended to Astoria-Ditmars Boulevard on weekdays. The W''' ceased operation on Friday, June 25, 2010 with the last train bound for Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard leaving Whitehall Street–South Ferry at 10:50 p.m. *In July 2015, the MTA announced that it was considering restoring the '''W in its 2004-2010 service pattern once the first phase of the Second Avenue Subway opens. When the Second Avenue Line opened on January 1, 2017, the Q''' was rerouted from the Astoria Line to 96th Street on Manhattan's Upper East Side. The '''W replaced the Q''' in Astoria in order to maintain two services along the Astoria Line during weekdays. However, there would be 20 fewer round-trips per weekday on the Astoria Line after the '''W's reintroduction, as the W''' serves Astoria for a shorter time span each day than the '''Q did. *On May 23, 2016, the MTA announced that it had decided to restore the W'''. Under the MTA's plan, '''W service was restored on November 7, 2016. The Q''' was temporarily cut back to 57th Street–Seventh Avenue, allowing for a seamless extension of '''Q service to the Second Avenue Line, which opened on January 1, 2017. Additionally, the N''' train once again became express in Manhattan on weekdays from 34th Street–Herald Square to Canal Street. As the '''N and W''' share the same fleet from the Coney Island Yard, the first three '''W trains originate at 86th Street; in addition, two W trains terminate there in the late morning and one in the evening. These trains operate local along the BMT Fourth Avenue Line and Montague Street Tunnel as they did prior to 2010. Station listing For a more detailed station listing, see the articles on the lines listed above. The runs rush hours, middays and evenings. References *Line By Line History External links *MTA NYC Transit - W Broadway Local * }}